Everton tell £25m man ‘he can leave’ as shock suitors enquire about January deal

Jean-Philippe Gbamin has been told he can leave Everton this month, it has been claimed – and reports elsewhere have revealed one of his surprise suitors.

Gbamin joined Everton from Mainz in 2019 as part of a £25m deal. Sadly, he has been unable to justify his price tag. The midfielder has endured an injury nightmare and still only has seven appearances (including only three starts) for the club to his name.

The last of those appearances came in December, when he came on as a substitute for 20 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Now, a report from the Liverpool Echo has revealed that Everton have told Gbamin he can leave in January. In fact, Rafael Benitez would be willing to sell him to make room for new arrivals.

In reality, though, a loan exit is more likely for the man under contract until 2024. And according to TeleRadioStereo, one club who could come calling is Roma.

Jose Mourinho has been desperate for midfield reinforcements ever since taking the Roma job in the summer. He wanted to sign Granit Xhaka from Arsenal as his first target, but could never complete a deal.

Now, he is about to take Ainsley Maitland-Niles from the Gunners instead. However, Roma’s plans are to use the Englishman mainly as a right-back.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin could get Everton escape route with Roma

Reports in Italy claim Roma are considering a loan transfer for Everton midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

Therefore, the Serie A side are seeking additional midfielders, one of which is Porto’s Sergio Oliveira. A loan deal is supposedly close in that regard.

But that has not stopped further links, with TeleRadioStereo adding Gbamin into contention. Their reporter Flavio Tassotti has claimed Roma have taken information about the Ivory Coast international.

Gbamin to make next move to Italy?

Tassotti points to a possible loan operation until the end of the season for the 26-year-old. Perhaps his ability to also cover as a centre-back (when fit) may also appeal to Mourinho.

As things stand, a deal does not seem to be a priority for Roma. But as the window progresses, it is something they may consider.

Indeed, the Echo‘s report suggested interest was building in Gbamin both from Germany and Italy. Now, there are hints as to where that may be coming from more specifically.

Once Gbamin is out of the way, the Echo claim Everton will try to sign a new midfielder.

Everton already eyeing midfield replacements

And Sky Sports have reported that Newcastle United have received an offer for midfielder Sean Longstaff from Everton.

There were high hopes for the Newcastle academy graduate when he began breaking through. He made his senior debut under Rafael Benitez in December 2018.

His performances from that point on showed potential and he was even linked with a big-money move to Manchester United. It never materialised, and he has been at Newcastle ever since.

Unfortunately, things have not quite been going to plan for Longstaff. He made 22 Premier League appearances last season, of which 15 were starts. No goals came for him within those games.

This term, he has started in nine of his 13 Premier League appearances, scoring once. But his future is uncertain with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Longstaff has long been linked with a move to Everton, where he could reunite with Benitez. Indeed, Sky Sports are now reporting that the Merseyside outfit have made an offer to the Magpies.

There are no details regarding the figures of the operation. What Sky do confirm, though, is that Newcastle would prefer Longstaff to stay.

Eddie Howe wants the 24-year-old to prove himself on the pitch again and show why he should get a new contract. Longstaff has only started one Premier League game since Howe took charge of Newcastle in November, though.

Should Everton prise him away, it would continue their productive January so far. They have already signed full-backs Vitaliy Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson.

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